Mystery, Crime & Detective · Mutual
Murder by Experts
June 13, 1949 – December 17, 1951 · 130 broadcasts
Mutual's Edgar-winning mystery anthology, on the air from 1949 to 1951. Each week a celebrated crime writer stepped up as the "guest expert" to introduce a favorite tale of murder -- the mystery field's own names vouching for the story you were about to hear. Novelist John Dickson Carr hosted the early run; Brett Halliday, creator of Michael Shayne, took over in 1950. Behind the scripts were Robert Arthur and David Kogan, the team behind The Mysterious Traveler, who adapted and produced the series and carried it to the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar for best radio program of 1950. Of 130 broadcasts, 15 survive today.
Collection status:
15 of 130 held (12% complete)
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Episode Spine
Grouped by year. Jump to the full list below, or open a season on its own page.
1949
A newly minted lawyer wakes to find a corpse in his bed, and spends a sweltering night trying to be rid of it.
June 20, 1949
Triangle of Death
June 27, 1949
Night Ride
A husband schemes to kill his wealthy wife, only to watch every step of the plan turn back on him.
A doctor lies dead, killed by an escaped convict who now moves through the world in the dead man's name. Circulates as "Murder by Prescription."
A killer stalks and strangles red-haired women as the hunt for the madman tightens.
An ex-convict falls in with two schemers angling to hijack a seven-million-dollar estate, with a sting in the tail.
August 1, 1949
Five Bullets for Baldwin
Newly wed and living on her father's remote island, a woman comes to fear that the writer she married is the killer the papers call the Scalpel.
A wife plays decoy for her husband's affair, then hands him the very idea that leads to murder.
August 22, 1949
Heavy Hangs the Head
A woman is dead and her $75,000 gone; a drifter stumbles onto the claim check that could make -- or bury -- him.
A busload of passengers, sealed in by an avalanche, share the dark with an escaped homicidal maniac.
Mrs. Kraft's nightmare -- her husband pressing a pillow over her face -- refuses to stay a dream.
September 19, 1949
Double Cross
After the owner of the Pelican Club is found murdered, Johnny and the Duchess set out to crack a killing sealed inside a locked room.
October 3, 1949
The Last Detail
October 10, 1949
First Act of Murder
October 17, 1949
Brain Guy
October 24, 1949
Zero Hour
October 31, 1949
Three of a Kind
November 7, 1949
The Great Mellagio
November 14, 1949
The Elephant's Tail
November 21, 1949
The Betrayer
November 28, 1949
Four Time Loser
December 5, 1949
Beautiful Silence
December 12, 1949
The Big Payoff
December 19, 1949
The Sound of Fish
A lighter turn: a Broadway character is driven to the brink by the mysterious "Mr. Aladdin."
1950
January 2, 1950
Death Wears a Mask
January 9, 1950
Hunting Trip
January 16, 1950
This Crime for Keeps
January 23, 1950
Success Story
January 30, 1950
Nemesis
February 6, 1950
Murder in Haste
February 13, 1950
Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper
February 20, 1950
A Letter of Condolence
February 27, 1950
The Last Laugh
March 6, 1950
They Struck It Rich
March 13, 1950
The Four Fatal Jugglers
March 20, 1950
Bird of Prey
March 27, 1950
Make No Mistake
April 3, 1950
April Fool
April 10, 1950
Lucky Guy
When a stranger's $80,000 bracelet drops out of nowhere into his taxi, detective Johnny Duke is pulled into a killing played for laughs.
A man sets out to drown an old flame under cover of a flood, with a surprise waiting at the end. Guest expert Lawrence G. Blochman introduces the tale.
May 1, 1950
Murder Is My Business
May 8, 1950
The Champ
May 15, 1950
Open the Door for Murder
A young pianist is drawn into the orbit of a beautiful, dangerous woman.
May 29, 1950
The Iron Man
June 5, 1950
Bury Her Deep
June 12, 1950
A Question of Survival
June 19, 1950
Four Hours to Kill
July 3, 1950
The Red Dog Murders
July 10, 1950
Long Distance
July 17, 1950
Murder by Proxy
July 24, 1950
The Third Witness
July 31, 1950
The Squealer
August 7, 1950
With Malice Toward One
August 14, 1950
Stolen Murder
August 21, 1950
Weight of the Evidence
August 28, 1950
And Death Makes Three
September 4, 1950
Man Hunt
September 11, 1950
Phobia
September 25, 1950
Alibi for Murder
October 2, 1950
The Rawhide Coffin
October 9, 1950
Goodbye, Darling
October 16, 1950
Agreement to Die
October 23, 1950
A Hard Bargain
October 30, 1950
Summer Storm
November 6, 1950
A Study in Terror
November 13, 1950
Bright Horizon
November 20, 1950
Spector of the Dead
November 27, 1950
The New Mrs. Devlin
December 4, 1950
The Long Shot
December 11, 1950
Brain Guy
December 18, 1950
Death in 16 Millimeter
December 25, 1950
Squeeze Play
1951
January 1, 1951
New Year's Nightmare
January 8, 1951
The Waxwork
January 15, 1951
All Damages Covered
January 22, 1951
Solo Performance
January 29, 1951
Affair at Stoney Ridge
February 5, 1951
The Three of Life
February 12, 1951
Deadly Nuisance
February 19, 1951
Nightmare
February 26, 1951
Lady with a Key
March 5, 1951
Package for Emily
March 12, 1951
Drop Dead
March 19, 1951
Death Rings Down the Curtain
March 26, 1951
The Amazing Gabel
April 2, 1951
Blindman's Bluff
April 9, 1951
Brief Pause for Murder
April 16, 1951
The Silent City
April 23, 1951
Your Devoted Wife
April 30, 1951
The Dead Can't Testify
May 7, 1951
Green Is for Danger
May 14, 1951
The Brass Ring
May 21, 1951
Filler to Adventure
May 28, 1951
Appointment for Murder
June 4, 1951
Dark Moon
June 11, 1951
Star-Crossed Murder
June 18, 1951
Short Cut to Death
June 25, 1951
Reluctant Witness
July 2, 1951
With My Own Eyes
July 9, 1951
Feast of the Furies
July 16, 1951
To Ease Her Aching Heart
July 23, 1951
Two Birds with One Stone
July 30, 1951
Dead Man's Story
August 6, 1951
The Witness at the Fountain
August 13, 1951
Dream Job
August 20, 1951
Perfect Alibi
August 27, 1951
Death Takes a Honeymoon
September 3, 1951
Return to the Sender
September 10, 1951
My Silent Companions
September 17, 1951
Blind Alley
September 24, 1951
Finale
October 1, 1951
The Lonely Road
October 8, 1951
The Survivors
October 15, 1951
Hit and Run
October 22, 1951
Killer at Large
October 29, 1951
The Intruder
November 5, 1951
The Big Hand
November 12, 1951
No Grave So Deep
November 19, 1951
Front Man
November 26, 1951
What's in It for Me?
December 3, 1951
The Golden Penny
December 10, 1951
Death Comes at Night
December 17, 1951
Gun for Hire
The Story
Mutual's Edgar-winning mystery anthology, on the air from 1949 to 1951. Each week a celebrated crime writer stepped up as the "guest expert" to introduce a favorite tale of murder -- the mystery field's own names vouching for the story you were about to hear. Novelist John Dickson Carr hosted the early run; Brett Halliday, creator of Michael Shayne, took over in 1950. Behind the scripts were Robert Arthur and David Kogan, the team behind The Mysterious Traveler, who adapted and produced the series and carried it to the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar for best radio program of 1950. Of 130 broadcasts, 15 survive today.
Full story — coming soon while it's being curated.
Gallery
Art pending